Extent of Britons’ addiction to mobile phones revealed

The majority of Britons cannot make it through dinner at home without checking their phone, such is our addiction to technology, new research from YouGov claims.

According to the report, 55% of those surveyed said they checked their phone during dinner, while 53% said they look at their phone even when dining out with friends or family.

More than half (54%) said they could not go more than two days without their device before it bothered them.

Both Google and Apple have responded to the growing debate about the impact of mobile phone use on public health by introducing usage tracking tools and screen time limiting features to their devices in an effort to improve digital wellbeing.

The research was carried out to mark YouGov’s partnership with The Future Starts Here exhibition at the V&A Museum, which examines Britain’s addiction to mobile devices and how it is changing human interaction.

Russell Feldman, director of digital, media and technology research at YouGov, said: “It will have escaped no one’s notice that smartphones are taking over our lives. Across the land, the sight of heads bowed over small screens is now ubiquitous. But what our research shows is just how attached to our mobile phones we really are – and perhaps without even realising it.”